Merseyside cooking fires warning after four deaths in month

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service is urging people to be "extra careful when cooking"

People are being warned not to leave cooking unattended after four fatal kitchen fires in a region in a month.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) said four men, aged between 54 and 70, had died following separate blazes from 24 November to 23 December.

The slow, smouldering fires were similar because they all burned for some time before being discovered, MFRS said.

It urged people to be extra careful when cooking and check smoke alarms.

Investigations found a fire at a flat in West Derby, where police found a 54-year-old man's body on 24 November, had started accidentally after cooking was left unattended.

Fire crews were called to a house in Tranmere on 19 December after reports windows were covered in soot.

A fire had started there after combustible materials were left next to a lit gas hob and the body of a man, 66, was found, MFRS said.

'Fully alert'

Fire crews were called to Ashton-in-Makerfield just after 14:00 BST on 23 December where a man, 70, died as a result of a chip pan being left on.

Later that day, just before 20:30, crews were called to Toxteth where the body of 64-year-old man was found after a fire which was caused by a pan of food being left unattended.

"Because of the nature of each incident, we are asking people to be extra careful when cooking, particularly if you live alone," Mark Thomas, MFRS Area Manager for Prevention said.

"If you need to leave the kitchen for any reason, turn off the heat until you return. Avoid cooking when you are not in a fully alert state of mind."

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [e-mail]